Today, on World Wildlife Day, the World Bank is partnering with ICWICC to “get serious about wildlife crime.” We asked experts at World Wildlife Fund and the World Bank to explain the link between wildlife... Show More + crime and lack of economic opportunity. Some of the answers are collected below. World Bank experts Valerie Hickey and Bill Magrath also penned a blog about why poaching is not a “poverty problem.”Question 1: What is the connection between wildlife crime and lack of economic opportunity?Rob Steinmetz, Conservation Biologist, WWF Thailand -- “As a general observation, regardless of economic status or opportunities, most people actually do not poach. Around protected areas in this region, 99% of people could probably be classified as "impoverished". Yet 99% of people do not poach. If economic opportunity were the main driver of poaching, then wildlife would have been eradicated a very long time ago. The link between economic opportunity and poaching is more complex than has been traditionally assumed. I'll give four examples that show this.In North America and Scandinavia, where farmers are wealthy, there is strong disdain for wolves and they are frequently poached as a population control measure despite widespread NGO and government compensation schemes. In this example, poaching occurs despite plenty of economic opportunity.In the West African nation of Ghana, commercial poaching has increased due to local fishermen taking up hunting, after their fishing grounds were decimated by fishing concessions given to other nations. In this example, you could say that loss of economic opportunity had increased poaching. But--delving more deeply--the driver was capitalist economic relations that took resources away from local people and awarded them to groups with more money and power.A third and more positive example is from a national park in Thailand, where poaching declined even though economic opportunities remained constrained and unstable among local pineapple farmers. This case points out that other factors can override economics, such as positive park-people relations that build local ownership and concern. (See WWF story: “Community engagement decreases poaching”)As a fourth example, indigenous people in a Thailand wildlife sanctuary, with few economic opportunities, have enthusiastically patrolled and protected large portions of the sanctuary from outside commercial poachers. They are motivated by the desire to have a proactive and empowered role in resource management. In this case, native cultural traditions and the social norms that follow were very powerful in promoting protection over commercial poaching.Khalid Pasha, CA|TS Manager, WWF Tigers Alive Initiative -- “Wildlife trade has shifted over the years, from killing or hunting wildlife for subsistence, to catering to local demands and beyond, to becoming a complete financial venture for some. Trends show that it is not the less-skilled casual hunters that are in the game today. With protected species becoming scarcer, casual hunters are replaced or joined by more high-tech or professionalized hunters, or in other places casual hunters are slowly becoming more sophisticated. For example, the poaching of elephants and rhinos in African countries is carried out by heavily trained militias with sophisticated weapons. Even tiger poaching in India and other range countries is becoming more organized. The most impoverished are not those who drive the poaching, but rather they are poaching’s victims.A deeper understanding is required of wildlife crime in general. Many patterns of illegal wildlife traders are similar to those of criminals dealing in drugs or contraband items. At the same time we also need to get a better understanding of market forces that drive commodity trade since in many countries wildlife products are treated as just another commodity. These trends mark a paradigm shift in the operation of local and global wildlife trade networks and require targeted and adequately resourced interventions for dismantling wildlife crime at a local, national, regional and global scale.”Question 2: What role can alternative livelihoods play in the fight against poaching?Rob Steinmetz, Conservation Biologist, WWF Thailand – “Assuming that poverty leads to poaching, then promoting alternative livelihoods should reduce poaching. But as pointed out above the first underlying assumption is often false in the first place. Further, alternative livelihoods can just as easily lead to an increase in poaching as to a decrease. There have been cases in Africa where people became wealthier as a result of alternative livelihood schemes, and this enabled them to more readily purchase weapons for their own poaching and to purchase meat from other poachers--and poaching was intensified.”Anupam Joshi, Senior Environmental Specialist, World Bank, India – “Although poaching is not driven by poverty but by strong demand coming from elsewhere, alternative livelihoods do have a place in the fight against poaching. Alternative livelihoods provided under the World Bank/GEF India Ecodevelopment Project resulted in a group of poachers completely giving up poaching at the Periyar Tiger Reserve in the State of Kerala in India. The former poachers are now grouped as an Ecodevelopment Committee (EDC) and organize day treks inside the parks for their livelihood. This EDC has been up and running for the last 12 years with positive results.” Show Less -

Better data monitoringThe report also found that with a few exceptions the World Bank’s projects that were reviewed did not include air pollution control as a primary objective. As a result, these projects... Show More + missed the opportunity to collect critical data, and establish baselines that would help measure the success of air pollution reduction interventions that they supported. Many developing countries lack the infrastructure and standardized methods to collect and interpret data that might inform better decision-making and help set national air quality standards. Better data and systematic monitoring are necessary if countries hope to respond to pollution. Sound analytical data and monitoring of changes over time were some of the critical factors of success in Santiago, Chile, for example, where authorities implemented cleaner transport solutions that were successful in lowering air pollution.World Bank projects in Chile, Mongolia and Peru demonstrate the importance of an active dialogue with all stakeholders in developing countries; the need for integrated approaches that start with identification of all pollution sources and end with identification of cost-effective interventions; and the need to involve multiple sectors – from transport to health, urban planning and agriculture. Experience also shows that where countries have made progress in addressing air pollution, a combination of technical, policy and economic measures were effective: for example, in China, pollution discharge fees were instituted in cities, and Mexico City removed regressive and inefficient fossil fuel subsidies.The future of growth in Africa and Asia will largely take place in cities. This urbanization does not have to mean that deadly polluted and un-breathable air will become the new normal. Cleaner transportation, industry, energy, construction, agriculture and waste systems, backed by stronger standards can save lives and support the cities of the future.“Improving air quality can be achieved in the face of urbanization when proactive leaders are willing to institute the right policies and investments,” said Paula Caballero, Senior Director of the Environment and Natural Resources Global Practice at the World Bank. “A nation can have clean air and healthy lungs, in addition to the economic benefits of urbanization.” Show Less -

Recent studies suggest that the coastal population in Bangladesh will become more vulnerable to salinity intrusion in a changing climate. The coastal community in southern Bangladesh will be on the “front... Show More + line” of climate change because of continued sea-level rise (SLR) beyond 2100, even if greenhouse gas emissions are stabilized today. Therefore, it is imperative for Bangladesh to understand the potential impacts and begin planning to cope with them.To date, most research on Bangladesh has focused on the long-run effects of inundation from SLR and associated losses from heightened cyclone-induced surges. Increased salinity from saltwater intrusion and its impact on livelihoods and adaptation alternatives need to be investigated in great detail.To look more closely at the impacts of climate change on salt water intrusion, the World Bank recently conducted the following research studies in the coastal region of Bangladesh. The region is already facing problems from salinization. The situation will worsen as climate change continues.River Salinity in Coastal Bangladesh in a Changing Climate This study indicates that climate change will cause significant changes in river salinity in the southwest coastal region during the dry season (October to May) by 2050. This will likely lead to shortages of drinking and irrigation water and cause changes in aquatic ecosystems. Changes in river salinity and the availability of freshwater will affect the productivity of many capture fisheries. It will adversely affect the wild habitats of fresh water fish and giant prawn. In addition, salinity increase may induce a shift in the Sunderbans mangrove forest from Sundari (the single most dominant and important species, with the highest market value) to Gewa and Guran. Estimates from the research indicate that Bagerhat, Barguna, Barisal, Bhola, Khulna, Jhalokati, Pirojpur, and Satkhira districts will be most adversely affected. The study uses hydrological models, and geographic overlays to assess location-specific river salinity in coastal Bangladesh for alternative climate change scenarios and projections of subsidence of the Ganges delta by 2050.Soil Salinity in Coastal Bangladesh in a Changing Climate This study identifies soil salinization in coastal Bangladesh as a major risk from climate change. In the coming decades, soil salinity will significantly increase in many areas of Barisal, Chittagong and Khulna districts. The study assesses changes in soil salinity in coastal Bangladesh from 2001-2009, using salinity information recorded at 41 soil monitoring stations by the Soil Research Development Institute. It projects a median increase of 26% in salinity by 2050, with increases over 55% in the most affected areas.The Economics of High-Yield Rice Production in a Changing Climate This study predicts the impact of climate-induced increases in soil salinity on the output of high-yielding-variety (HYV) rice. The findings indicate that rice yield will decline by 15.6 percent in nine coastal upazilas where measured soil salinity will exceed 4 decisiemens per meter by 2050. Without new coping strategies farmers will earn less from HYV rice production in many areas, including losses of 10.5 percent Barisal and 7.5 in Chittagong. Many upazilas have already suffered large yield losses and substantial price reductions from rising salinity, and this will continue as long as the sea-levels rise and salinity increases. Groundwater Salinization and Road Maintenance Costs in a Changing Climate This study finds that maintenance expenditure for municipal paved roads in coastal Bangladesh will increase 252 percent because of increased ground water salinity. The increased damage is caused by the penetration of saline water, which causes blistering and cracking of road surfaces. The poor will suffer most from this climate change impact if the increase in road maintenance expenditures reduces support for community sanitation, health, and other infrastructure-related programs..Livelihood Threats, Family Structure and Economic Welfare in a Changing Climate This study finds that households in areas with high inundation and salinization threats have significantly higher out-migration rates for working-age male adults, dependency ratios and poverty incidence than households in non-threatened areas. The study looks at the impacts of inundation risk, salinization and market access on household composition, economic welfare, and poverty in coastal Bangladesh. When salinity, inundation risk and market access are switched from their least harmful to most harmful levels, the poverty impact is striking: the probability that the economic status of a coastal household is in the bottom 20 percent rises six-fold, from 8% to 56%.The study recommends investment in infrastructure, especially roads, as improved access may significantly improve the economic welfare of isolated coastal region settlements. The benefits of providing better market access are significant even without climate change, making such investments an attractive no-regret option. The analytical frameworks and estimates in these studies should help policy makers and researchers prepare for dealing with the adverse effects of a changing climate. The studies will be particularly helpful to the Bangladesh government as it prepares location-specific coastal adaptation plans.BNPP funded the research on river salinity. All the other 4 papers were funded by the Knowledge for Change Trust Fund administered by the World Bank. Show Less -

The torrential rain that caused flooding and landslides across Bosnia and Herzegovina last May displaced 90,000 people, affected more than 1 million and cost the economy about 15 percent of gross... Show More + domestic product (GDP) in lost output and damage. In Northern India and Pakistan, flooding in September brought nearly $18 billion in losses and marked the fifth consecutive year Pakistan suffered a billion-dollar flood. Natural disasters of this magnitude and worse occur almost every year around the world, disproportionately hitting developing countries with an economic force that can roll back their development gains and exacerbate inequality. Without efforts to build resilience, such disasters can make development investments unsustainable.“Resilience and development are inextricably linked. When we invest in infrastructure, we have to invest not just for today but for the future, and that means building resilience into everything we do,” said Rachel Kyte, World Bank Group vice president and special envoy for climate change.To help communities build resilience to shocks from natural hazards and help protect development, the World Bank-managed Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) is leveraging partnerships to scale up targeted disaster risk management initiatives in vulnerable countries.Scaling up resilience in developing countriesDuring the last fiscal year, GFDRR grants, technical assistance, and knowledge-sharing activities helped low-capacity countries secure almost $1.5 billion in World Bank financing, in addition to funding from other partners. For example:Mozambique benefitted from a comprehensive risk assessment of schools, resulting in a nationwide investment plan to rehabilitate or build 30,000 classrooms using disaster-proofing guidelines.Honduras and Nicaragua were qualified for $24 million of World Bank support to pay the premium to participate in the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility, a multi-country risk pool that enables member countries to manage budget volatility in the immediate aftermath of disasters.In Djibouti, a new system for disaster risk communications and emergency protocols is revolutionizing the way that country deals with drought and floods—a flash flood in March 2013 resulted far fewer casualties (13) compared with a similar flood in 2004 that claimed 230 lives.In all, GFDRR issued 85 new grants in fiscal year 2014 worth a total of $60 million—a 31 percent increase over the previous year. The full portfolio of projects being implemented, described in the GFDRR Annual Report 2014: Bringing Resilience to Scale, consisted of 232 grants worth approximately $168 million. Sub-Saharan Africa is the largest regional recipient.Leveraging local communities and international partnershipsMuch of the facility’s work during the past fiscal year focused on community-driven and technology-enabled solutions to reduce disaster risk. For example:Code for Resilience, a GFDRR-supported initiative that brings together technologists and local communities, held coding competitions in eight countries, producing award-winning apps for improving evacuation access for the elderly and providing flood alert systems, among other projects.Participatory mapping projects, like one in Sri Lanka that mapped 30,000 buildings in Batticaloa in under three months, utilized GPS technology to empower community members in helping create and make accessible crucial risk information.GFDRR also leveraged its relationship with over 400 partners through a number of high-profile events like the Understanding Risk Forum, which brought together over 800 participants in June 2014 to collaborate on innovative solutions to creating and communicating risk information, and the Resilience Dialogue Series, which brought together leaders from organizations like USAID, the European Union, the United Nations, the government of Japan and others to refine and reinforce the resilience agenda.The importance of 2015Moving forward, GFDRR is strategically applying its knowledge, experience, and convening power to help ensure that the Sustainable Development Goals and the successor to the Hyogo Framework for Action on disaster resilience—both set to commence in 2015—are aligned and include disaster risk management targets. “The year ahead offers a unique opportunity to take this momentum to the next level – starting in Sendai, and later in Addis Ababa and Paris,” Kyte said. “Through these defining development and climate negotiations, we can ensure that resilience is fully integrated in the post-2015 development framework.”By sustaining and expanding global commitments to bring disaster resilience to scale, the development community has the potential to make real, sustainable change in the lives and futures of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable. Show Less -

From 1980 to 2000, Bangladesh alone accounted for nearly 60 percent of the deaths caused by cyclones worldwide. Due to the effects of climate change, an increase in the frequency and severity of... Show More + cyclones and other natural disasters is likely, making it essential for Bangladesh to adapt to increased uncertainty and be prepared to ride out even the worst storms. The Multipurpose Disaster Shelter Project (MDSP) will benefit nearly 14 million coastal people who are more vulnerable to natural disasters.Challenge:The longitudinal position of Bangladesh, its proximity to the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean, create a tropical monsoon-type climate, which is prone to cyclones, flooding and droughts. Nearly 40 million people living in the 710 km long coast in Bangladesh are exposed to cyclones and other natural disasters. Cyclones accompanied by powerful storm surges hit the coastal areas and often causes inundation over a vast area.Multipurpose disaster centers have been highly effective in saving lives in the disaster-prone coastal districts. The Bangladesh Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan (BCCSAP) calls for the repair, maintenance and construction of additional cyclone shelters throughout the coastal zones of Bangladesh, as a priority intervention.Government’s assessment shows that around 7,124 multipurpose shelters will be needed by 2025 to improve the disaster resilience across all fourteen coastal districts. Of these, around 4,760 will be needed on a priority basis by 2020. The need assessment has also identified nine coastal districts as priority. To date, around 3,268 multipurpose disaster shelters have been constructed, with around 1,492 needed by 2020.Approach:The growing network of cyclone shelters and the community-based early warning system has enabled Bangladesh to save lives and assets during natural disasters. The Multipurpose Disaster Shelter Project (MDSP) will improve access of the local population to safe havens in the event of a natural disaster in nine coastal districts of Bangladesh. During normal times of the year, the shelters would serve as primary schools – but during cyclones and other natural disasters, these buildings would double up as shelters.MDSP would focus on meeting the high priority needs of cyclone-prone areas with the shelters in nine coastal districts. The project would support the construction of 552 new shelters and the improvement and rehabilitation of 450 existing shelters. The construction of multipurpose buildings, especially primary schools, will benefit the primary school age children. The project will also build connecting roads and communication networks to shelters, ensuring easy accessibility.Bangladesh has gained significant experience in the construction of multipurpose disaster shelters, most notably through the Emergency 2007 Cyclone Recovery and Restoration Project (ECRRP). MDSP will further improve the designs of these shelters. The project will introduce steel shelter designs for the first time in Bangladesh for improved construction quality and implementation. Thus, the project expects to contribute significantly to reduce the vulnerability of the coastal population to natural disasters.Desired Results:The project will provide shelters in the event of a natural disaster for 14 million people living in the 9 coastal districts of Bangladesh.The project will introduce steel shelter designs for improved construction quality and durability. The shelters would be designed such that they protect people from high wind speeds and storm surges. The shelters will be equipped with water supply systems and separate sanitation facilities for men and women. They would also have space for animals and livestock.The shelters would serve as primary schools during the the year, providing a wider benefits to the coastal population. Show Less -

But agriculture is not just important to the rural poor. It is also critical to fighting hunger, tackling malnutrition and boosting food security for a population that is expected to reach 9 billion by... Show More + 2050. Agriculture also creates jobs--on farms, in markets, and throughout the farm-to-table food chain. And because agriculture is one of the sectors that is most vulnerable to extreme weather and one of the largest contributors to greenhouse gases—it is also important in the fight against climate change.The World Bank Group has steadily increased its investments in agriculture over the years. In 2014, the Bank Group made $8.3 billion in new commitments to agriculture, establishing itself as a leading financier of the agriculture sector. The majority of Bank lending goes to increasing productivity, food security and improving access to markets. The Bank’s work in agriculture is also aimed at helping farmers cope with risks, reducing gender inequality, making agriculture more environmentally sustainable and advancing climate-smart agriculture.“Agriculture must become part of the solution to many of the world’s most pressing development problems,” said Juergen Voegele, Senior Director of the World Bank’s Agriculture Global Practice. “It is important for developing countries because of its potential positive impact on everything from job creation and food security, to fighting climate change. When done sustainably, agriculture not only grows economies, but also improves the daily lives of the world’s poorest people.” Show Less -

South Asia is home to 13-15% of the world's biodiversity including some of the world’s most endangered species. The world’s tiger population has declined alarmingly, mainly due to poaching and the encroachment... Show More + of tiger habitats. 65% of the 3,000 or so remaining wild tigers are found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal. With South Asia’s rich biodiversity, the region is a lucrative place for illegal wildlife trade. To help preserve the region's biodiversity, the Strengthening Regional Cooperation for Wildlife Protection in Asia (SRCWP) project helps countries tackle illegal wildlife trade.ChallengeAccording to The Wildlife Trade Monitoring Network (TRAFFIC) report, the seizure of parts of more than 1,400 tigers across Asia in the last 13 years indicate an alarming rate of illegal trade of tiger parts. Illegal wildlife trade is largely controlled by criminal gangs who poach flagship species such as tigers and elephants in one country, store them in another, and then trade them outside of South Asia. No single country on its own can contain illegal wildlife trade, thus cross-border collaboration is required to stop poaching. This makes the control of the illegal trade of wildlife and wildlife parts a challenging multi-country responsibility.ApproachThe first World Bank regional project in South Asia, the Strengthening Regional Cooperation for Wildlife Protection in Asia (SRCWP) follows two-pronged approach: capacity building to address the illegal wildlife trade through regional cooperation, and habitat protection and management to promote regional conservation benefits and address human-wildlife conflict. The project assists participating governments in building or enhancing shared capacity, institutions, knowledge, and incentives to collaborate on tackling the illegal wildlife trade and other selected regional conservation threats to habitats.The project has already led to some significant developments in Bangladesh, since its inception in 2011:Combating Wildlife Trafficking and Crime:The project helped the Bangladesh Forest Department (BFD) to establish a Wildlife Crime Control Unit (WCCU) which is equipped with a forensics lab, a legal support arm, and a wildlife crime control group to implement the Bangladesh Wildlife (Conservation) Act 2012. The WCCU has a 24-hour hotline for reporting of illegal wildlife trafficking and other wildlife related crimes.The WCCU coordinates with other agencies including the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), Border Guard, Coast Guard, Customs, Police, and Ministry of Foreign Affairs to tackle wildlife crime within Bangladesh. The WCCU also collaborates with TRAFFIC, UNODC, INTERPOL, and the International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime (ICCWC) internationally to build synergies and to develop and implement tools for more effective enforcement of the wildlife trade and landscape based conservation. Bangladesh is the first South Asian country that is in the process of implementing the Wildlife and Forest Crime Analytic Toolkit developed by UNODC and ICCWC. Protection of Flagship Species & Protected Areas Management:The Project is assisting the Bangladesh Forest Department in partnership with four universities, and six non-governmental institutions to implement 34 sub-projects, aimed to improve the management of protected areas and conservation of flagship species through a landscape approach. The endangered species addressed under these sub-projects include Bengal tigers, Elephants, Gharials, Langurs, Marine Turtles, Saltwater Crocodiles, Spoon-billed Sandpipers, Waterbirds, and White-rumped Vultures. Some of the sub-projects are addressing human-wildlife conflict through engagement with the local communities and civil society.Tiger Census:Bangladesh is among the 13 tiger range countries where tigers still roam in the wild. It is important to have accurate estimation of the tiger population and density for formulating effective management plans for the Sundarbans. The project is supporting the census of Bengal tigers in Bangladesh's Sundarbans region through camera trapping method. The census using cameras would last from October 2013 to November 2014. Digital infrared camera with thermal and motion detecting sensors are being used for the census. Human-Elephant ConflictThe Elephant population is declining at an alarming rate due to habitat loss and fragmentation caused by illegal timber felling, encroachment for settlements and agriculture, unplanned road construction, and other challenges. Elephants move between Bangladesh and the neighboring forests of Arakan Yoma in Myanmar, and Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, and Tripura states in India. As their habitat gets destroyed and food sources become scarce, the incidence of human-elephant conflict (HEC) has increased, killing 47 elephants and 180 humans between 2003 to 2012. To mitigate human-elephant conflict, the project has mapped routes of elephant corridors and two major Human-Elephant conflict areas while a detailed study is ongoing for developing pilot projects for addressing HEC. Project Results to Date Wildlife Crime Control Units established in the Forest Department headquarters in Dhaka and in seven divisional forest offices.The rescue of 5,253 wild animals and the arrest of 171 wildlife offenders between 2012 to April 2014Approval of the Wildlife Conservation and Security Act 2012 by the Bangladesh ParliamentThe Bangladesh Forest Department is conducting a census of Bengal tigers in the country and using the data for monitoring the size and density of the tiger population in the Bangladesh Sundarbans.Ongoing preparation of Protected Areas Management Plans30 Bangladesh forestry department officials completed the certificate training course on wildlife management at the Wildlife Institute of India. In total, more than 800 forest department officials have received in-country training.The implementation of the National Tiger Recovery Plan is underway. Ongoing implementation of 34 subprojects on habitat improvement, eco-tourism development and human-wildlife conflict mitigationTowards the FutureIndia has demonstrated its commitment to cooperate in regional wildlife conservation through a bilateral Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) relating to wildlife and ecosystems in cooperation with Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal and is expected to collaborate to further the project’s goals of protecting biodiversity in South Asia. Show Less -

Benefitting the state and the peopleWhile the electricity generated will flow into India’s national grid, Himachal Pradesh, the host state, will also gain substantially. The state will receive twelve percent... Show More + of the power generated free-of-cost, enabling it to meet the growing energy needs of its people.Looking back over the decade-long journey, Gupta, the project director recounted: “The Rampur project has given us a huge sense of achievement. The new social and environmental practices are helping improve the hydropower industry’s standards across India. And we, too, have learnt a great deal.” Show Less -

Results in Numbers11 Continuous Air Quality Monitoring Stations (CAMS) installed in 8 cities to monitor major air pollutants and to generate real time air quality data including air quality index for major... Show More + citiesFor the first time in Bangladesh, 1 clean technology (VSBK) successfully introduced which emit around 60%-70% less particulate matter than the traditional fixed kilns.2 other pilots include improved Zig-Zag and alternative building materials.20 km of sidewalk and road improvement completed in Mohammadpur, 14.5 km in Tejgaon and 25 intersections being improved.13 foot over bridges constructed and 10 under design or construction.Towards the FutureAs more and more people come to Dhaka in search for jobs, education, and opportunity for better life, there is a growing urgency to continue the co-benefit approach to improve air quality and safe mobility. Show Less -

Approval Date: 20 June 2013Closing Date: 28 July 2018Commitment amount: $236 millionPercentage disbursed: 23% (As of 30 June 2014)Context:In the aftermath of the Indian Ocean Tsunami of December 26, 2004,... Show More + the World Bank supported India’s recovery efforts with the India - Emergency Tsunami Reconstruction Project (ETRP), focused on the state of Tamil Nadu and the Union Territory of Puducherry. The objective of the ETRP was to revive livelihoods and promote recovery in Tsunami-affected areas. The Tamil Nadu and Puducherry Coastal Disaster Risk Reduction Project (CDRRP) focuses on new initiatives in risk reduction and mitigation, but also integrates the previous ETRP.Project Development Objective:The project aims to increase the resilience of coastal communities in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry to a range of hydro-meteorological and geophysical hazards, along with improving the capacities of project implementation entities to respond promptly and effectively to an eligible crisis or emergency. The project has five components:Vulnerability reduction of coastal communities: through infrastructure such as permanent houses, evacuation shelters and routes, and a resilient electrical network.Sustainable fisheries: aims at upgrading infrastructure, sustainable co-management, and addressing safety at sea.Capacity building: focused on disaster risk management of government institutions, civil society, the school education system, and coastal communities.Implementation support: Includes incremental operating costs for operating the Project Management Unit (PMU) and respective Project Implementation Units (PIUs) in the line departments.Contingency Emergency financing: will be drawn by the government of Tamil Nadu and/ or Puducherry to cover emergency response and recovery costs.Location:Across coastal villages in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. Status:The project which has just begun has made good progress both in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry in terms of initiating activities crucial to the achievement of the project development objective.In Tamil Nadu:Resilient Housing – 14,346 houses that were continuing from earlier Emergency Tsunami Reconstruction Project (ETRP) are now complete.19 Multi-Purpose Evacuation Shelters (MPES) and all the Emergency Evacuation Routes are complete.Modernization of fishing harbor – about 70 percent of the works in Nagapattinam and 95 percent in Pazhayar are complete.Tamil Nadu has created the secretariat for the Disaster Management Authority as a society and recruitment of personnel is ongoing. It will be operational soon. Show Less -

Protecting a Global Public Good with Information and Innovation“Natural resource law enforcement is a global public good and not enough is being done in this area,” says William Magrath, Lead Natural... Show More + Resources Economist, The World Bank. “Many of the most damaging environmental crimes involve transnational activities, such as smuggling, where the effectiveness of the authorities in any one country is inherently limited. There are big gaps when it comes to financing, policy and capacity, which is why the environment sector in developing countries is more vulnerable to crime than other sectors and international cooperation is essential."The Bank actively identifies investment and policy reform needs so that it can help fill the gaps. Because there is little information on wildlife crimes and networks, the Bank is funding the ICCWC’s work to establish a mechanism for criminal intelligence. To address the lack of country data, the ICCWC’s analysis of wildlife law enforcement in Peru, Bangladesh, Nepal and Tanzania is also being financed by the Bank.The Bank also supports innovative approaches in the fight against wildlife crime, including the development of forensic technology that now allows prosecutors to determine the origins of ivory. In 2013, this type of DNA analysis was used on three large ivory seizures, and provided prosecutors in Togo with scientific evidence to build a strong case against one of West Africa’s largest ivory dealers.Helping Countries Prevent, Detect and Respond to Environmental CrimesThe Bank focuses its efforts on environment and natural resource crime prevention. Magrath says, "The Bank believes that good resource management that involves and benefits local communities helps crowd out illegal activity." The Bank's support to forest resource inventories, wildlife population studies, management planning and approaches such as community forestry should be seen as contributing to crime prevention and law enforcement.Aside from crime prevention, the Bank also helps governments grow capacity in environmental crime detection. The Bank has helped governments enhance coastal patrols and control illegal fishing in nine West African countries including Cape Verde, Ghana, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. Fishermen along the coast have benefited from bigger catches, which have not only boosted incomes but also created jobs in fishing supply stores and trucking operations that transport fish to markets. In Liberia, the Program on Forests, a partnership hosted by the Bank, helped put in place a sophisticated log-tracking system that keeps illegal wood from being exported. When prevention fails, governments need to be able to respond to crimes. This is why the Bank supports socially responsible police work. In Nepal, Bangladesh and Bhutan, the Bank has worked with governments to strengthen law enforcement agencies, improve regional cooperation against wildlife trafficking and provide rangers with the training and equipment they need to protect animals such as tigers and rhinoceroses. The Bank has also helped protect forests and protected areas in Southeast Asia by supporting the establishment of a forest police agency in LAO PDR and a forest crime monitoring system in Cambodia.Safeguarding Natural Resources for Future GenerationsThe desire to protect natural resources for future generations is at the heart of the Bank’s fight against environment and natural resources crime. The destruction of just one part of an ecosystem could mean that communities have less wood for shelter, raw material for livelihoods, and food to eat.Beneficiaries of Bank projects confirm that depleted resources are not an option for the world’s poorest. "Without fish, it would be very, very bad," says Addie, who saw how the Bank's work to control illegal fishing helped increase fish stocks in Freetown, Sierra Leone. "For most, fish is the only protein available. Without the fish, we would get thin and weak—we would die." Show Less -

Key FindingsGreen growth is necessary. With cost of environmental degradation at US $80 billion annually, or equivalent to 5.7% of GDP in 2009, environment could become a major constraint in sustaining... Show More + future economic growth. Further, it may be impossible or prohibitively expensive to clean up later.Green growth is affordable. Model simulations suggest that policy interventions such as environmental taxes could potentially be used to yield positive net environmental and health benefits with minimal economic costs for India.Green growth is desirable. For an environmentally sustainable future, India needs to value its natural resources, and ecosystem services to better inform policy and decision-making especially since India is a hotspot of unique biodiversity and ecosystems.Green growth is measurable. Conventional measures of growth do not adequately capture the environmental costs, Therefore, it is imperative to calculate green Gross Domestic Product (green GDP) as an index of economic growth with the environmental consequences factored in.What can be done?A low-emission, resource-efficient greening of the economy should be possible at a very low cost in terms of GDP growth. A more aggressive low-emission strategy comes at a slightly higher price tag for the economy while delivering greater benefitsEmissions reduction would have a minimal impact on GDP which would be offset by savings through improving health while substantially reducing carbon emissions.A 10% particulate emission reduction will lower GDP only modestly. GDP will be about $46 billion lower in 2030 due to interventions, representing a loss of 0.3 % compared to business as usual.A 30% particulate emission on the other hand reduction will lower GDP by about $97 billion, or 0.7 %.GDP growth rate will be negligibly reduced by about 0.02 to 0.04% in both scenarios. There will be significant health benefits under both scenarios which will compensate for the projected GDP loss.The savings from reduced health damages will range from $105 billion in the 30% case and by $24 billion with a 10% reduction.Under the scenarios, another important benefit would be a substantial reduction in CO2 as a co-benefit which has a potential of being monetized. Show Less -

The India-California Air Mitigation Pollution Program (ICAMP) was jointly launched by University of California at San Diego, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) of India, California Air Resource... Show More + Board (CARB), and the World Bank on October 21, 2013. The program is co-chaired by Dr. R. K. Pachauri, Director-General of TERI and Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Ms. Mary Nichols, Chair of CARB, and Prof. V. Ramanathan. Governor of California Jerry Brown, who delivered a key-note speech in the inauguration, stressed the importance of shifting public opinion in the fight to reduce air and climate pollution. California’s emissions reductions have occurred at the same time California’s population and economy have both grown strongly. The inauguration was followed by a 3-day knowledge exchange workshop. The workshop, arranged by the UCSD in partnership with TERI, included representatives from the Indian Federal Government, three Indian states, CARB as well as industry and non-government organizations. Delegates discussed how science, engineering, technology, economics, history, policy and politics all play a role in understanding the problem and methods to solve it.California’s emissions reductions have occurred at the same time California’s population and economy have both grown strongly. According to the experts gathered in California, each year about 620,000 people are killed by ambient PM pollution alone in India. This number for the globe is 3.2 million, including some 200,000 in the US, of which more than one-tenth is in California. Transport sector, especially diesel vehicles, is a major contributor of PM emissions. Pollutants from diesel are also believed more toxic than other PMs. According to Dr. Linda Smith, Chief of Health and Exposure Assessment Branch of CARB, diesel PM emissions represent 70-80% of all air cancer risk. In the US, the west coast state suffers more than any other due to its distinctive geography and climate that traps air in valleys. Severe smog in the 1940s caused a major public outcry and the Californian Government now has some of the world’s toughest air pollution policies and cleanest vehicles. Through various policy interventions, California has successfully reduced its BC concentration by 90% from 1960 to 2010 while consumption of diesel increased by a factor of four.India’s transportation sector is experiencing impressive growth. The number of vehicles has grown from about 20 million in 1991 to about 140 million in 2011. Air pollution has become a major problem in cities with PM concentrations exceeding standards by factors of 5 to 10 in major cities. A recent report by Financial Times indicated that the PM10 level peaked at 1560 mg/m3 at one of the monitoring stations in Delhi which is more than 30 times the WHO standard – 50 mg/m3. In cities like Bangalore, the transportation sector contributes more than 50% to PM2.5 (as of 2011), nearly the same as in California. This explains why Indian government officials and experts are looking to California for lessons.According to UCSD scholar, Prof. V. Ramanathan, California’s efforts to reduce air pollution, particularly from diesel transportation, cut soot concentrations by 90% since 1966. This has not only improved public health, but also avoided the equivalent of 21 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually (about the same as taking more than 4 million vehicles off the road every year). In his speech, Dr. Pachauri, emphasized the need to reduce SLCPs, such as ‘black carbon’ from diesel, which impact the climate in a matter of weeks, months and years. This focus is timely given the IPCC’s latest report suggests humans are now only decades away from being locked into a course of dangerous climate change and SLCP reduction may buy us more time before the world enters catastrophic warming. Reducing SLCPs pollutants complement efforts to reduce carbon dioxide, which warm the atmosphere over decades and centuries. According to the Integrated Assessment of Black Carbon and Tropospheric Ozone (2012) by UNEP and WMO, full implementation of the 16 identified measures to mitigating SLCPs would reduce future global warming by 0.5˚C (within a range of 0.2–0.7˚C). “SLCPs offer the important opportunity to address the risk of climate change while reducing the impacts of air pollution on public health and protecting agricultural production and reducing regional impact such as accelerated glacier melt and its effect on river systems in the region”, said Chandra Shekhar Sinha, Task Team Leader of the project in South Asia Region’s Disaster Risk and Climate Change team. India’s transport emissions could be reduced by policies and investments promoting a systemic shift of passengers and freight to more efficient, lower-emissions forms of transport as well as by more direct regulatory and policy approaches aimed at encouraging more efficient, lower-emitting vehicles. The gains from a shift in modes of transport are significant. A series of initiatives including stricter vehicle emissions standards, durability requirements and in use vehicle testing could reduce emissions by 85% of where they otherwise might be through 2030 and reduce premature deaths to 230,000 by 2030. However, India’s institutional and policy knots must be untied to achieve these emissions reductions. Policies to promote shifts in mode of transport – e.g. from road to rail for freight or private vehicles to public transport in cities – are intertwined with broader public investment and governance challenges. Regulations on fuel efficiency and emissions are tightening, but still contentious. Enforcement must be strengthened, which in turn requires streamlining responsibility and building capacity to enforce existing rules.The Program has now established working groups on science, technology and governance, which, over the next six months, will design measures to reduce India’s air pollution and propose an Action Plan to high-level policy makers. The Program will also explore options for pilot projects to reduce diesel emissions in a major Indian cities and states. The working groups will research and consult on a set of options to be narrowed down at the next meeting with high-level policy makers, scheduled for February 2014 in New Delhi, India. Show Less -

Buying time for bigger challengesBy quickly taking steps to curb emissions from cookstoves, forest burning, fossil fuel extraction and diesel transport countries could help preserve the cryosphere while... Show More + at same time saving the lives and health of millions. The report looks at 14 measures (initially proposed in a 2011 scientific assessment) that could get the job done – while cautioning that long-term efforts to curb emissions of carbon-dioxide, the biggest contributor to global warming, must also be scaled up.“Reductions in short-lived climate pollutants cannot be made in isolation from efforts to reduce other greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide,” said Sameer Akbar, a senior environmental specialist at the World Bank and a co-author of the report. “But black carbon and methane reductions can slow the warming impact in the near-term, including in regions covered with snow and ice. That would buy us some much-needed time to help communities adapt to the changing climate.”By ramping up production and adoption of just four non-polluting cookstove designs, for example, the world could save 1 million human lives annually, with the biggest benefits seen in South Asia.Improved wood and coal heating stoves could save another 230,000 lives, while a 50-percent drop in open field and forest burning could result in 190,000 fewer deaths every year. Those benefits would be seen mainly in Europe and Central Asia.Reductions in emissions from diesel transport and equipment, meanwhile, could result in more than 16 million tons of additional yield in crops such as rice, soy and wheat, especially in Southeast Asia. The number of averted premature deaths: 340,000."This report is an important contribution to the World Bank's work on development and climate," said Rachel Kyte, the World Bank’s Vice President for Sustainable Development. "It clearly identifies the risks to the poorest and most vulnerable, but also the climate benefits of early, scalable action irrespective of global agreements."World Bank Steps Up Efforts to Reduce PollutantsThe On Thin Ice report comes on the heels of another recent World Bank report that looked at ways in which the Bank can more effectively address short-lived climate pollutants through its projects. That report noted that between 2007 and 2012, 7.7 percent of World Bank commitments, about $18 billion, were spent on activities that could potentially reduce SLCP emissions. Going forward, despite challenges of implementation around cost, behavior and technology, the goal is to transform as much of the Bank’s portfolio as possible into activities that directly help reduce the release of SLCP into the atmosphere. Show Less -

Who is most at risk?The new study, part of an ongoing OECD project, examined maps and databases of population and world assets, flood-prone regions, storm frequency data, and cost of damage models for... Show More + 136 large coastal cities. For the first time, it took into account existing coastal defenses and their level of protection.In terms of the overall cost of damage, the cities at the greatest risk are: 1) Guangzhou, 2) Miami, 3) New York, 4) New Orleans, 5) Mumbai, 6) Nagoya, 7) Tampa, 8) Boston, 9) Shenzen, and 10) Osaka. The top four cities alone account for 43% of the forecast total global losses.However, developing-country cities move up the list when flood costs are measured as a percentage of city gross domestic product (GDP). Many of them are growing rapidly, have large populations, are poor, and are exposed to tropical storms and sinking land. The study lists the 10 most vulnerable cities when measured as percentage of GDP as: 1) Guangzhou; 2) New Orleans; 3) Guayaquil, Ecuador; 4) Ho Chi Minh City; 5) Abidjan; 6) Zhanjing; 7) Mumbai; 8) Khulna, Bangladesh; 9) Palembang, Indonesia; and 10) Shenzen.In most of these cities, the poor are most at risk as rapid urbanization has pushed them into the most vulnerable neighborhoods, often in low-lying areas and along waterways prone to flooding. Taking action nowOne warning from the study's findings appearing in the journal Nature Climate Change is that the cities where flood risk will increase most are not the cities where the risk is particularly high today. Port cities that haven't been highly vulnerable in the past are among those facing the greatest increase in risk by 2050. Leading the cities with the greatest increase in risk are Alexandria, Egypt; Barranquilla, Colombia; Naples, Italy; Sapporo, Japan; and Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. “Coastal defenses reduce the risk of floods today, but they also attract population and assets in protected areas and thus put them at risk in case of the defense fails, or if an event overwhelms it. If they are not upgraded regularly and proactively as risk increases with climate change and subsidence, defenses can magnify – not reduce – the vulnerability of some cities,” Hallegatte said. With better defenses, more people will be dependent on dikes and sea walls, and losses when those defenses fail to protect the city will get bigger. Along with better structural defenses, cities will need better crisis management and contingency planning, including early warning systems and evacuation plans, Hallegatte said. In cities where flood damage hasn't been common, spending money on flood defenses can be politically unpopular. The challenge facing government officials today is investing in protection before the damage occurs. For small countries, protection and preparation are especially important. A devastating flood in a key city can stall the entire economy of a small country, making recovery and reconstruction even more difficult. For all of the cities, the preparation will save lives and money in the future. Show Less -

Coinciding with the World Bank Group’s Energy Sector Directions Paper, which pledges to “expand engagement in clean cooking and heating solutions,” several recent studies analyze the household fuels problem,... Show More + which has defied solution for generations. These Bank Group studies, What have we learned about household biomass cooking in Central America?, Pathways to Cleaner Household Cooking in Lao PDR, and Indonesia – Toward Universal Access to Clean Cooking, all point to similar causes of failure of earlier efforts to implement safe cooking solutions:Lack of awareness in households that cooking smoke causes respiratory illness that can bring an early deathEasy, cheap (often free) availability of wood or other biomassCleaner, safer cooking options, including liquefied petroleum gas, natural gas, biogas, or efficient cookstoves that dramatically reduce the dangers of biomass combustion have not been available, affordable, or sustainable.A persistent challenge is that clean cooking remains a “poor person’s problem.” When short-term incentives have prompted business people to try to build a market for improved cookstoves, their efforts have often foundered. The genuinely safer advanced cookstoves were not affordable, or not adapted to local needs, or not locally-made and thus in short supply.As for gas-powered solutions, these can work for relatively better-off urban dwellers, but those in remote villages often cannot be reached. Situations vary, but usually this is because there are no pipelines, or roads are inadequate, or there is no supply of gas, or no market network to sell it.This has to change, say the studies addressing the problem in the countries cited above—Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Lao PDR and Indonesia. Each of these studies outlines how the obstacles to that change can be removed. Although the impact of indoor cooking fires is identical everywhere—respiratory illness and death—the best approach to solving the problem will vary from one place to another, according to these studies.“We need country-specific action plans in each country,” said Yabei Zhang, author of the Indonesia study, and a World Bank energy economist. “Women are using unsafe cookstoves or open fires because they are conveniently available, affordable and adapted to the types of food they prepare. Clean cooking solutions need to meet those same criteria to be successful.”All the studies point to the importance of developing market-based clean cooking solutions. Incentives are needed for local entrepreneurs to design, manufacture and market safe cookstoves that are tailored to the country or region, made with local materials, and adapted to local cooking practices. The studies also highlight the need for public awareness campaigns to promote clean cooking solutions.The challenge is to put these lessons into practice. World Bank Group experts in household energy are working with clients to apply them through the Clean Stove Initiative in East Asia, as well as in Central America. Efforts are also underway through the Africa Clean Cooking Energy Solutions Initiative in Sub-Saharan Africa. The Bank Group is also a partner in the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves, a public-private partnership that seeks to create a thriving global market for clean and efficient household fuels and cookstoves. Show Less -

The construction of polders along the entire coastal belt provided protection to the people and their agricultural land. Today 1.2 million hectares of land is utilized for agricultural purposes within... Show More + the embankment system. This represents almost 15% of Bangladesh’s total arable land.However, the vulnerability of the coastal population is on the rise due to climate change. Climate variability will accentuate the risks facing coastal Bangladesh.The risks span:-Cyclones and storm surges-River bank erosion and vulnerability of islands and chars-Sea level rise-Saline intrusion, and coastal erosion.Re-focusing the strategyWith these challenges in mind, Bangladesh’s Government is refocusing its strategy in coastal areas from one that only protects against high tides to one that provide protection against frequent storm surges. "The embankments are vital for the livelihood of the population living in the coastal areas. Over time, the embankments have been weakened and eroded; this project will upgrade them systemically," said Masood Ahmad, World Bank Lead Water Specialist.Investing in adaptation measures today will provide huge savings in the future by minimizing the damages associated with extreme weather events.Economic and Social BenefitsImprovement of polders will enhance the resilience of coastal areas to cyclones, tidal and flood inundations, and salinity intrusion. This in turn will enhance the people’s livelihoods through increased agricultural production during normal weather and reduced loss of life, assets, crops and livestock in the event of a disaster.-The Project will help reduce poverty and stimulate economic development by facilitating the growth of farm and non-farm activities.-The Project will provide direct protection to the 760,000 people living within the polder boundaries.-The Project is expected to benefit 8.5 million people living in 6 coastal districts (Bagerhat, Khulna, Satkhira, Barguna, Patuakhali and Pirojpur) through agriculture development, employment and food security.The project is expected to increase confidence among the coastal population by securing agriculture, fishery, forestry and local industries, while generating employment for the poor, disadvantaged women and other vulnerable groups."This project is an essential step forward in building the resilience of the coastal population of Bangladesh to climate change," said Maria Sarraf, World Bank's project leader. Show Less -

Sub-Saharan AfricaIn Sub-Saharan Africa, the researchers found food security will be the overarching challenge, with dangers from droughts, flooding, and shifts in rainfall.Between 1.5°C-2°C warming, drought... Show More + and aridity, will contribute to farmers losing 40-80 percent of cropland conducive to growing maize, millet, and sorghum by the 2030s-2040s, the researchers found.In a 4°C warmer world, around the 2080s, annual precipitation may decrease by up to 30 percent in southern Africa, while East Africa will see more rainfall, according to multiple studies. Ecosystem changes to pastoral lands, such as a shift from grass to woodland savannas as levels of carbon dioxide increase, could reduce food for grazing cattle.South East AsiaIn South East Asia, coastal cities will be under intense stress due to climate change.A sea-level rise of 30 cm, possible by 2040 if business as usual continues, would cause massive flooding in cities and inundate low-lying cropland with saltwater corrosive to crops. Vietnam’s Mekong Delta, a global rice producer, is particularly vulnerable to sea-level rise. A 30 cm sea-level rise there could result in the loss of about 11 percent of crop production. At the same time, storm intensity is likely to increase.The study also describes rising ocean acidity leading to the loss of coral reefs and the benefits they provide as fish habitats, protection against storms, and revenue-generators in the form of tourism. Warmer water temperatures and habitat destruction could also lead to a 50 percent decrease in the ocean fish catch in the southern Philippines, the report says.South AsiaWater scarcity in some areas and overabundance of water in others are the hallmarks of climate change in South Asia, the researchers found.Inconsistences in the monsoon season and unusual heat extremes will affect crops. Loss of snow melt from the Himalayas will reduce the flow of water into the Indus, Ganges and Brahmaputra basins. Together, they threaten to leave hundreds of millions of people without enough water, food, or access to reliable energy. Bangladesh and the Indian cities of Kolkata and Mumbai will be confronted with increased flooding, intense cyclones, sea-level rise, and warming temperatures. World Bank’s responseIn his first year as president of the World Bank, Jim Kim has raised the profile of climate change in speeches and in conversations with leaders around the world, as well as within the institution. The Bank is currently working with 130 countries on climate change; it doubled its lending for adaptation to $4.6 billion in 2012 and put $7.1 billion into mitigation, in addition to its work with carbon finance and the Climate Investment Funds; and it now includes climate change in all country assessments.The Bank is also developing a Climate Management Action Plan, informed by the Turn Down the Heat reports, to direct its future work and finance through a climate lens. Among other things, the Bank will:• Help countries develop strategic plans and investment pipelines that integrate the risks and opportunities of climate change.• Provide the tools that countries and cities need to better assess and adapt to climate change, including greenhouse gas emissions tracking, energy use and efficiency assessments, and assessments of resilience.• Create best practices and norms through its projects for making infrastructure resilient, not just today but decades into the future.• Use its convening power, financial leverage and targeted climate funds to increase support for clean energy, low-carbon development, and climate resilience.In order to help countries build resilience, the Bank will prioritize the most vulnerable areas, manage water availability and extremes, and increase its efforts to meet growing food demand. It will work with the world’s largest emitters to lower their impact through carbon emissions and short-lived climate pollutants. Its specialists are working on ways to help governments end fossil fuel subsidies while protecting the poor, connect global carbon markets, and make agriculture and cities climate-smart and resilient. “I do not believe the poor are condemned to the future scientists envision in this report,” Kim said. “We are determined to work with countries to find solutions.” Show Less -